Continuous form stationery and method of forming same



April 28, 1959 E. J. p. STRATTON cou'rmuous FORM STATIONERY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed May 14, 1956 United States Patent CONTINUOUS FORM STATIONERY AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Edwin J. D. Stratton, Deep River, Conn., assignor to Uarco Incorporated, a corporation of Illinois Application May 14, 1956, Serial No. 584,599

3 Claims. (Cl. 282-12) The present invention relates to a stationery assembly and to a method of making such an assembly.

In a continuous form stationery assembly made from a number of superposed strips of paper material it is often desirable to unite the strips along only one longitudinally extending margin. conventionally this is done by stapling, sewing or bump fastening operations. When the stationary assembly is zig-zag folded, the united strips stack unevenly because the fastening means adds thickness to the one margin. Thus the resulting zig-zag folded pack or stack does not extend straight upright but is prone to tilt or slope to one side.

The fact that such upright packs are not level when stacked is undesirable for several reasons. It limits the height of a pack or stack which can be used with a business machine such as a tabulator Without tipping. Also, a pack which is sloping is prone to feed at a slight angle so that the automatic business machine needs more supervisory care during a feeding operation. In addition, sloping packs are not as readily adaptable for packaging and shipping as other packs which are compact, level and of uniform height.

The structure and method of the present invention obviates the above difi-lculties by providing a zig-zag folded pack which is level and will stack evenly at all times.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stationary assembly which may be stacked without tilting when zig-zag folded. Another object is to provide a new and improved method for forming the stationary assembly of such a pack.

' A further object is to provide a stationary assembly adapted for zig-zag folding and having an added thickness of paper material in one margin to offset the increased thickness imparted to the other margin by the fastening elements securing the strips in the other margin together.

Still another object is to provide a stationery assembly formed from a plurality of superposed strips of paper material, one of the strips having a marginal edge portion folded over on a longitudinally extending line to add thickness to one margin of the stationery assembly.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the preferred method of forming the stationery assembly;

Fig. 2, a sectional view taken as indicated on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a sectional view taken as indicated on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and showing the operation of the fold shoe;

Fig. 5, a fragmentary perspective view of a strip of paper material of the stationery assembly taken before one of its marginal edge portions is folded over;

Fig. 6, a view as in Fig. 5 showing one of the marginal edge portions folded over; and

Fig. 7, an elevational view, partly in section, of a zigzag folded pack formed from the stationery assembly.

The method of forming the preferred embodiment of stationary assembly, generally designated 10, is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1. The stationary assembly 10 is preferably formed by collating a number of strips 11 of paper material and lengths of carbon 12 which are advanced in continuous fashion into superposed relation from sources of supply, not shown. Each of the strips 11 and lengths of carbon 12 are preferably provided in their opposite marginal edge portions with conventional pin wheel feed tracks 13 which are detachable along lines of weakening 14 and 15 in each of the strips 11 and lengths of carbon 12.

The apertures in each of the feed tracks are carefully aligned when the strips of paper 11 and the lengths of carbon 12 are brought together. In order to assure that the alignment is maintained when the stationery assembly 10 is later used, securing means in the form of staples 16 are provided to unite a longitudinal margin 17 of the stationery assembly 10.

Conventional crosslines of fold 18 may be formed in the stationery assembly 10 to form individual sets of form lengths 20 in the stationery assembly. By providing the crosslines of fold 18, the stationery assembly 10 may be conveniently zig-zag folded in a conventional manner to form a pack or stack generally designated 21 of form lengths 20, as best shown in Fig. 7. In arranging the stationery assembly 10 in the zig-zag folded pack 21, the securing means, which may be a plurality of wire staples 16, conventional bump fastening elements or simply stitching, adds to the stacking thickness of the stationery assembly margin 17 in each form length 20. If the pack 21 is folded without compensating for the increased thickness of the margin 17, the form lengths would stack unevenly and the top of the pack would tend to slope to one side.

In the present invention compensation for this added thickness due to the staples 16 is made in a convenient and novel manner. As best seen in Fig. 2, one of the strips 11 of paper material, herein shown to be the top strip is provided with an added marginal edge portion 22. This edge portion 22 is preferably provided with apertures 23 adapted to coincide with the openings in the adjacent feed track 13 when the edge portion 22 is folded along a line of weakening 24. When folded, the edge portion 22 lies between an adjacent pair of strips 11 in the longitudinally extending margin 25 of the stationery assembly 10.

Thus, as best seen in Fig. 3, the margin 25 of the stationery assembly 10 is provided with an added thickness of paper material to compensate for the added thickness of the margin 17 due to the securing means or staple 16 so that when the assembly 10 is zig-zag folded an upright pack 21 will be formed which is level and does not slope or tilt. It is clear that additional marginal edges of the strips 11 may be folded over if it is desirable to increase further the thickness of the margin 25.

As herein shown, the folding of the added marginal edge portion 22 of one of the strips 11 is accomplished by providing a U-shaped folding shoe 26 which is positioned in the path of advance of the added marginal edge portion 22. As best seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the shoe 26 is generally channel shaped and has a base 27 and sidewalls 28, all tapered in the direction of advance of the stationery assembly 10. The added marginal edge portion 22 of the upper strip 12 is directed between the sidewalls 28, and, as the strip advances, the edge portion 22 is initially brought to bear against the base 27 and is then gradually folded over into the margin 25 of the stationery assembly 10 by the base 27 and one of the sidewalls 28.

Whilethe added marginal edge portion 22 is-here illustrated as having apertures 23, it is clear that a narrow non-apertured portion could also be folded over and accomplish the objectives of this invention equally well. Such afolded edge portion should be narrow enough so as not to obstruct the adjacent feed track 13; It is also understood that a narrow tape could be adhered to one or more of the strips 11 in the margin 25 to compensate for the increased thickness of the margin 17 in the assembly 10. Such a paper thickness could be adhered in a continuous band or could be spaced in small increments longitudinally in the margin 25 as desired.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of undertsanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1; A stationery assembly in continuous form, comprising; aplurality of separate strips of paper materialarranged in superposed relation, each of said strips having crosslines of weakening in registry with crosslines of weakeningin the other strips to formsets of form lengths and to permit adjacent sets of form lengths in the assembly to be zig-zag folded and arranged in an upright stack; securing means disposed in onelongitudinally extending margin of the form lengths of the stationery assembly to unite the superposed strips in said one margin; and an added thickness of paper material disposed in the other longitudinally extending margin of the form lengths of the stationery assembly between an adjacent pair of the strips to compensate for the securing means increasing the thickness of said one margin so that the stationery assembly when zig-zag foldedj will form an upright level pack having opposite upwardly extending sides of substantially the same height.

2. A stationery assembly as specified in claim 1, in which the securing means comprises a plurality of wire staples spaced longitudinally of the-stationery assembly in the one margin, and the added thickness of paper in the other margin is a narrow band in continuous form andis secured to oneof the superposed strips.

3. A stationary assembly as specified in claim 1, in which the securing means comprises aplurality of wire staples spaced longitudinally of the stationery assembly in the one margin, and one of the strips has a marginal edge portion folded over on a longitudinal line of fold so as to lie between an adjacent pair of strips in the other margin of the stationery assembly and provide the. added thickness in said other margin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATES, PATENTS 1,488,522. Woodward Apr. 1, 1924: 1,990,221 Brenn Feb. 5; 19351 2,118,888 Lewis et al. May 31, 1938 2,213,123 Guilbert Aug. 27, 1940 2,213,157 Brenn Aug. 27, 1940 2,220,842 Hano Nov. 5, 1940' FOREIGN PATENTS 1,044,234 France June 17, 1953. 1,110,083, France Oct. 5,1955, 

